Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus to which an optional unit is connected, a program update method for the printing apparatus, and a storage medium, and more particularly to a technique for updating a program of the optional unit for expanding functions of a multifunction peripheral or the like.
Description of the Related Art
In a general multifunction peripheral, a controller unit for controlling the overall operation of the multifunction peripheral includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), while some of optional units that are used by being connected to the main unit of the multifunction peripheral are also equipped with CPUs, respectively. The CPUs of such optional units realize various optional functions, such as a FAX function and a finishing function, by reading out and executing programs associated with the functions, e.g. from ROMs of the optional units. To this end, when such an optional unit is connected to the apparatus main unit, a program executed by the CPU of the optional unit is required to be updated such that the program is compatible with a program executed by the CPU of the controller unit in association therewith.
Further, there is a case where even when the hardware configuration of an optional unit is the same, the optional unit is operated by being connected to an apparatus main unit having a different function, by rewriting the program of the optional unit.
To prevent occurrence of problems due to incompatibility between a version of the program of the apparatus main unit and a version of the program of the optional unit, there has been proposed, for example, a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2012-008864. This publication discloses the method in which the latest firmware (program) of a camera (apparatus main unit) is downloaded in advance to a cradle (optional unit) for the camera, and when the camera is connected, if the version of the firmware for the camera is old, the firmware is automatically updated.
Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2012-203801 proposes a method in which when a vehicle-mounted apparatus and a communication apparatus are caused to operate in cooperation with each other, the communication apparatus downloads, based on the version numbers of respective programs installed on the apparatuses for cooperative operation, one of a combination of appropriate versions of the programs, which is to be updated, from a server, and thereby performs upgrading of the to-be-updated one of the programs.
An operation to be realized by an optional unit is sometimes different depending on the different hardware configuration and functions of the apparatus main unit, and it is necessary to enable the optional unit to accommodate a difference in the operation by modifying a program of the optional unit. For example, in the case of a finisher unit, to prevent stackability of a discharge tray thereof from being degraded due to sheet curl caused by differences in the amount of toner application and sheet discharge speed from an apparatus main unit (image forming apparatus), a modification is made to a program that controls the sheet conveying speed and the distance between adjacent sheets being conveyed. In the case of a scanner unit, it is necessary to prepare programs that are compatible with different printing performances and scanning speeds of different apparatus main units, respectively.
However, in general, the program storage capacity of the ROM of an optional unit is small, so that it is difficult to store a multiplicity of programs in the ROM. For this reason, to adapt the optional unit to the apparatus main unit different in function, it is necessary to cause the ROM to store a program compatible with the apparatus main unit on an as-needed basis. As a consequence, if an optional unit similar in shape but different in the specifications of a program stored in its ROM is erroneously connected to the apparatus main unit, there is a fear that the optional unit cannot exhibit a desired function or performance. Further, there is a possibility that the program of the apparatus main unit and the program of the optional unit are not compatible with each other, sometimes causing an unexpected operation, and even a failure of the optional unit.
The method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2012-008864, in which the version of the program of the camera connected to the cradle is updated when the program is old, can always update the program for the camera to a later version.
However, the disclosed method does not provide control of notifying, in a case where the program of the optional unit is different from a program expected by a user, the user of this fact, and updating the program on an as-needed basis. Therefore, it is sometimes impossible to cope with the case where it is desired that an optional unit having the same hardware is caused to store a different program to thereby cause the same to perform a different operation.
The method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2012-203801, in which the communication apparatus capable of communicating with a server downloads one of an appropriate combination of versions of the programs whereby the to-be-updated program is updated, has an inconvenience that e.g. in an environment where the communication apparatus is not connected to a network, it is sometimes impossible to execute program update so as to cause the programs of the apparatuses to have an appropriate combination of respective program versions.